Wildfires Force Colorado Horse Evacuations

An undetermined number of horses are being evacuated due to wildfires sweeping through Colorado.

According to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, the fires broke out earlier this week in three locations. As of June 13, the Klikus Fire, burning some five miles west of LaVeta, Colo., was 75% contained while two other fires—the Royal Gorge and Black Forest fires—continued to burn.

Colorado Office of Emergency Management Public Information Officer Micki Trost said that several horses and other animals residing near the Royal Gorge and Black Forest fires had been evacuated. The evacuations are expected to continue.

“Livestock evacuations are always part of fighting wildfires in Colorado,” Trost said.

Trost said that a pair of safe locations have been designated for large animals; others have been designated for small animals. All the animal evacuation sites are reporting to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, Trost said. She expects to make evacuation numbers available shortly.

Meanwhile, the mandatory evacuation order remains in effect in the fire zones for both horses and humans.